Boot choices - smaller vs narrower vs different boot? Long backstory.

[MissySki]

Anither RS 120 Short cuff with the zipfit gara high volume. Note that high volume with zipfit is the opposite of a shell that is HV. The HV liner is thicker and pads out even more for tiny ankles like mine.

Both the boot and the liner are new for me. I am still teaching in the Lange RX 110 with an intuition liner and tons of extra foam glued on to the outside of the liner to take up even more space.

Dialing in new boots is such a frustrating process that ends up being so rewarding at the end. I am also playing around with a pair of Nordica Pro machine boots but I'm actually finding that the taller cuff is not the Panacea I had hoped for.

How did you know you should go with the HV Gara versus the LV version when you got your Zipfits?

I just got the LV in the mail today, but haven’t tried it all on yet.

 

[snoWYmonkey]

How did you know you should go with the HV Gara versus the LV version when you got your Zipfits?

I just got the LV in the mail today, but haven’t tried it all on yet.

I was lucky enough to be at a shop that has both the high volume and the low volume as well as the Free Ride version and I tried them all on and it was pretty obvious that I would still need to add quite a bit of cork material to the high volume as I had a ton of ankle movement even in that one but definitely less than in the low volume which is not as snug. If I had been ordering one directly from them I would have been hesitant but as suspected my teeny tiny ankles which one boot fitter measured to be a 21 Mondo need a lot of extra padding to fill out a 23 boot.

 

[WaterGirl]

Sorry the promachines didn’t help @snoWYmonkey, the taller cuff is what has helped me. Having skied touring boots with a shorter cuff I’m much happier with the height of the nordica.

 

[Basil]

Ah good point, hopefully that will help a lot overall!

Adjustable tongue in what way? The Mach 1 allowed you to adjust the tongue position closer and further from your instep with a connection of velcro down at the toes… unfortunately even moving it in and padding it didn’t do enough after awhile as things packed out, but it did help at first.

Yes that’s what I meant. Attached to the liner with Velcro so it can be moved or possibly replaced with a different one with higher or lower volume. In my current boots this is all one piece, so it sounded like a useful feature to me.

I’m looking forward to seeing how you like the Zipfits!

 

[snoWYmonkey]

Sorry the promachines didn’t help @snoWYmonkey, the taller cuff is what has helped me. Having skied touring boots with a shorter cuff I’m much happier with the height of the nordica.

I may keep them and lower the cuffs through grinding as I like how it skis. I am built more like a guy but shorter like a woman. My lower leg is quite short and the promachine squeezes painfully at the top of the cuff with the zipfit on. What I like is the way the foot sits and engages the ski when I tip it. A process for certain.

 

[zookeepr]

I may keep them and lower the cuffs through grinding as I like how it skis. I am built more like a guy but shorter like a woman. My lower leg is quite short and the promachine squeezes painfully at the top of the cuff with the zipfit on. What I like is the way the foot sits and engages the ski when I tip it. A process for certain.

Have you tried stretching out shell cuff? I was having issues with throbbing feet and my shop figured it out that my boots were squeezing too much at the top and cutting off my circulation. The have a piece of concrete they use to slowly open up the cuff. It's formed in an upside down traffic cone.

 

[MissySki]

I was lucky enough to be at a shop that has both the high volume and the low volume as well as the Free Ride version and I tried them all on and it was pretty obvious that I would still need to add quite a bit of cork material to the high volume as I had a ton of ankle movement even in that one but definitely less than in the low volume which is not as snug. If I had been ordering one directly from them I would have been hesitant but as suspected my teeny tiny ankles which one boot fitter measured to be a 21 Mondo need a lot of extra padding to fill out a 23 boot.

Ah yes, I am so annoyed that everywhere around me seems to be sold out of the Zipfits in my size... though to be fair I have only been asking about LV and not HV. Once I try the LV on in both of my boots that will hopefully give me a better idea on whether I need to order in the HV for comparison's sake!

I am hoping that my shell fits are snug enough that the LV is appropriate... I think the Technica should be because that boot seemed such a good match to my foot despite the instep still being too high after packing out. I am just not so sure about this new Lange RS of mine. Honestly though, if it seems right in the Technica and not the Lange, I think I'll have my answer of starting over with a new Technica shell and ditching the Lange that I have been wholly unimpressed with being any sort of a low volume boot currently... It's one of those like I want to like it... but right now I really dislike it! Just don't know yet if it is just the liner that's uber disappointing about the new version or if it's the whole thing.

 

[contesstant]

Ah yes, I am so annoyed that everywhere around me seems to be sold out of the Zipfits in my size... though to be fair I have only been asking about LV and not HV. Once I try the LV on in both of my boots that will hopefully give me a better idea on whether I need to order in the HV for comparison's sake!

I am hoping that my shell fits are snug enough that the LV is appropriate... I think the Technica should be because that boot seemed such a good match to my foot despite the instep still being too high after packing out. I am just not so sure about this new Lange RS of mine. Honestly though, if it seems right in the Technica and not the Lange, I think I'll have my answer of starting over with a new Technica shell and ditching the Lange that I have been wholly unimpressed with being any sort of a low volume boot currently... It's one of those like I want to like it... but right now I really dislike it! Just don't know yet if it is just the liner that's uber disappointing about the new version or if it's the whole thing.

Ugh, sorry to hear you are still on the hunt for the magical fit. I'll never have the magical fit because I'll always have to add to the liner. The ZipFits change how a boot skis (way more control) so hopefully you can give them a shot in the Langes.

 

[KWlovessnow]

How did you know you should go with the HV Gara versus the LV version when you got your Zipfits?

I just got the LV in the mail today, but haven’t tried it all on yet.

I bought the HV because I was skiing a high volume boot (why any boot seller would put me in a high-volume boot is beyond me). I was honestly a bit surprised they fit into my Lange RS boots, but they did and they fit perfectly.

I will mention, when you try on the ZipFits, they should feel uncomfortably tight. They were borderline painful to ski in the first few days. Then all the cork migrates to where it needs to be and they are wonderful.

 

[zookeepr]

I chatted with Zipfit and they explained the only difference is the HV Gara has 20% more cork than the LV.

My current stock liners are ~20 days in and aren't packed out yet but with all the great reviews, I'm debating treating myself and pulling the trigger early on Zipfits. Given how many shims are in my boots now, I'd probably get the HV + OMfit to be able to add cork. Anyone get new Zipfits with newish boots?

 

[echo_VT]

The zipfit website has a tool called a “fit quiz” where they ask you what boot you ski in (make and model) as well as what mondo size, then they make a recommendation based on that as well as some other factors. That’s how I knew to get the Gara LV for my outer boot shell (it’s also a LV shell).

Hope this helps!

 

[snoWYmonkey]

@zookeepr I am going new zipfit in new boots. Curious as to what you are curious about?

 

[zookeepr]

@zookeepr I am going new zipfit in new boots. Curious as to what you are curious about?

I've only heard about people doing new zipfits into old boots. I wanted to make sure I'm not too crazy for splurging and chasing the great boot fit.

My shells are great. It has taken 10 visits to the shop to get my stock liners to fit good, which is already great compared to the poor fitting boots I had before.

 

[snoWYmonkey]

I don't think you're crazy at all! More skiers shed tears over poorly fitting boots than anything else I think. I've never been able to go with stock liners and always used intuition liners. This is my first time trying it fits and I figured why not start with both at the same time as I knew that I wouldn't stay with the stock liners and wanted a slightly better fit than the intuitions.

 

[contesstant]

I don't think you're crazy at all! More skiers shed tears over poorly fitting boots than anything else I think. I've never been able to go with stock liners and always used intuition liners. This is my first time trying it fits and I figured why not start with both at the same time as I knew that I wouldn't stay with the stock liners and wanted a slightly better fit than the intuitions.

You’ll have to let us know your thoughts! What boot are you getting into?

 

[snoWYmonkey]

You’ll have to let us know your thoughts! What boot are you getting into?

Back into the Lange RS 120 LV SC. Have been in the Lange 110 RX for many years now. I am a tad, hmmmm, heavier than I was when I bought them and also looking for more precise control.

 

[MissySki]

Brought home my current Lange RS120 and previous boot Technica Mach 1 LV Pro W to try on with the Zipfits this week. I meant to this weekend, but didn’t get a chance up North. Anyway, can’t help but notice how much lower the instep and lower clog overall seen in the Technica versus the Lange!

 

[Basil]

The Tecnicas do look a lot lower in the instep than the Langes! What made you move away from the Tecnicas?

I think the problem I am having is less the instep and more the ankle. If I mash on the second buckle on the third or 4th tooth, I can crush my instep and cut off all circulation. But I still feel room right around/in front of my malleoli. I added the J pads in that area and it did help but not completely. I may try a thicker one next week.

I can’t tighten the third buckle more because then it crushes the back of my calf. I ended up with some weird bruising in that area this weekend and I swear I wasn’t backseat that much!

 

[MissySki]

The Tecnicas do look a lot lower in the instep than the Langes! What made you move away from the Tecnicas?

I think the problem I am having is less the instep and more the ankle. If I mash on the second buckle on the third or 4th tooth, I can crush my instep and cut off all circulation. But I still feel room right around/in front of my malleoli. I added the J pads in that area and it did help but not completely. I may try a thicker one next week.

I can’t tighten the third buckle more because then it crushes the back of my calf. I ended up with some weird bruising in that area this weekend and I swear I wasn’t backseat that much!

Well, even in the Technicas the insteps packed out and we knew I was getting movement in my heels due to bumps forming on them even though I couldn’t actually feel my heels moving in those (and I definitely CAN in the Langes now). I had 150+ days on the Technicas so it was either new liners or new boots and I had always found them a little too stiff so I opted for new boots because I was afraid an aftermarket liner would make them even stiffer feeling. Plus, my bootfitter had mentioned that the newer Techjica model had changed connections points on the spine supposedly making the newer model feel a tad more progressively flexing than the brick wall mine were.

Anyway, when I went to try on boots in the fall they actually both felt very similar in the store… the newer model Technica and Langes, so I had a hard time deciding between them and let my fitter choose. In the store they actually felt very snug over my foot, maybe even more so than the Technicas somehow. Yet as soon as I started skiing them they packed out immensely fast.

So I am also in contact with my fitter about what’s been going on of course. He agrees with trying a Zipfit as a next step. Unfortunately he doesn’t deal with Zipfits and I wish he did so we could do the fitting between the two shells together etc.

I did send him the picture of the Technica and Lange this morning and am curious what he will think about the side by side comparison too. I haven’t tried everything on yet even though I have it all here. I need to get on that. I’m a bit nervous to try and worldcup into the shells and also keep seeing that you want to tape up the metal parts in the shells to avoid damaging the liners so I need to figure that out first I guess. I am thinking with the Langes it won’t be too hard to step in, but I think the Technicas will be a struggle because the overlap at the instep is very tight and abrupt of an angle. That boot was very hard to get in and out of at times in general. Hopefully easier to step into than I’m thinking though since I am very flexible…. To be continued.

 

[sorcamc]

I got Salomon s pro and it is honestly perfect on the heel/ankle- def nice and narrow/ I am a size 10
Shoe, and I wear a 25.5 ski boot, so definitely I’ve sized down in ski boots to get the smaller shell. It helps a lot